Frictional car truck bolster



Oct. 16, 1951 E. ENDSLEY FRICTIONAL CAR TRUCK BOLSTER Filed Aug. 16, 1949 INVENTOR. Laws 1 ZM054 15 r Patented Oct. 16, 1951 2,571,225 .FRICTIONAL CAR TRUCK BOLSTER .Louis E. Endsle'y,

' Frost Railway Supply 00.,

corporation of; Michigan Pittsburgli,'Pa., assignbr to The Detroit, Mich., a

Application August 16, 1949, Serial No. 110,594

2 Claims.

My invention relates to railway car trucks, and more particularly to that type having swing motion bolsters, the present invention comprising an improvement on that of my Patent Number 2,466,088 issued April 5, 1949.

In said patent wedges are employed for placing and holding the snubbing springs in compression against the friction shoes that dampen vertical movements of the bolster on the truck frame.

In the present case I employ a simpler and more conveniently operable means for placing the snubbing springs under compression, the said means comprising a shaft having a cam that is rotatable to place the springs under compression and release them, the shaft and its cam bein more easily removed from the bolster than are the wedges of said patent, thus facilitating the disassembly and reassembly of the snubbing elements when replacements or repairs are required.

Certain features of this invention, and particularly the rotatable camming device for the snubbing springs can be used with forms of truck frames other than that shown in the drawing of this application.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a truck bolster and truck frame equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view taken on the line IL-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line of 111-431 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side view of the cam shaft for placing the snubbing springs under compression and Figs. 5, 6, and -'l are views taken on the lines V-V, VI-VI and VlI-VII, respectively, of Fig. 4.

Substantially all of the parts of the structure, except for the tensioning cam for the snubbing springs, are as shown in my said patent and therefore need not be described in detail. The device is shown as applied to a truck bolster l having divided or bifurcated arms H that extend past the vertical guide columns l2 of a car truck frame. The truck frame carries the usual springs l3 and M for supporting the bolster.

Friction shoes l5 and I6 are slidably supported at their ends in grooves I! in the arms ll of the bolster and are in vertical sliding frictional engagement with the bolster columns l2 during vertical movements of the bolster through compression and relief of load on the springs iii-I4.

Snubber springs l8 and I9 are interposed between the friction shoe [5 and a spring seat Illa, and between the shoe l6 and a spring seat 20. The seats Mia and 20 have reduced ends that slide in the grooves l1, so that they will have some longitudinal movement therein and can be conveniently slid into and out of place at the end of the bolster, when a retaining block 2| is removed as explained in my said patent.

In order to place the springs l8-l 9 under compression, to thereby hold the shoes |5-l 6 in frictional engagement with the guide columns I2, I employ a cam shaft 22 that extends through the bolster arms at a point between the spring seats I8a-20. The shaft is rotatable in the bolster and has a median flattened camming section 23 that will be turned to compress and to release them. As shown in Fig. 2, the wide section of the cam is in position holding the spring seats l8a-20 spread apart to compress the snubber springs Ill-l9 and to thereby hold the shoes l5l6 in frictional engagement with the guide columns of the truck frame. When the shaft 22 is turned degrees from the position shown in Fig. 2, the spring seats will be released and the springs l8-I9 can conveniently be lifted from the bolster to permit replacements thereof.

To prevent accidental turning of the shaft 22 from its operative position, I provide a cotter pin 24 that extends through holes in bosses 25 on the side of the bolster and through a hole 26 in the shaft.

The cam shaft can be formed from a two-inch round rod, for example, the rod being forged at its mid-portion, and its ends shaped for a wrench.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a railway car truck side-frame which has a pair of vertical guide columns that are spaced apart in directions transversely of the frame, of a truck bolster having arms extending across the front and rear sides of the columns, springs for yieldably supporting the bolster on the truck frame, friction shoes disposed between the said arms and the pair of guide columns and each shoe having frictional engagement with the adjacent surface of a column and movable vertically thereon, a pair of spring seats, a. snubbing spring interposed between each seat and one of the shoes, means on the bolster arms for supporting the shoes and the spring seats against vertical movement relative to the bolster and for supporting the shoes and seats for movement longitudinally of the bolster, and a cam shaft extending through the said arms and having a cam near its mid portion, positioned to move the spring seats apart through rotation of the shaft, to thereby place the snubbing springs under compression.

2. The combination with a railway car truck side-frame which has a pair of vertical guide columns that are spaced apart, of a truck bolster the springs l8--|9 having vertically slidable connection with the columns, springs for yieldably supporting the ibolster on the truck frame, friction shoes carried Tby the bolster at points between the guide colmmns and each shoe having frictional engagement with the adjacent surface of a column and mov- :able vertically thereon, a pair of spring seats be- "tween the shoes, a snubblng spring interposed between each seat and one of the shoes, means on the bolster for supporting the shoes and the spring :seats against vertical movement relative to the bolster and for supporting the shoes and seatsfor movement horizontally on the bolster, and a rotatable horizontal cam shaft carried by the bolster and with an extension accessible at one vertical face of the bolster and having a cam interposed between the seats, for moving the seats apart and thereby placing the snubbing springs under compression upon rotation of the extension of the shaft.

LOUIS E. ENDSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

